Review: Battlefield 3

The Deal: It's been more than six years of painful waiting as DICE laboured over the next installment of its phenomenal "Battlefield" series. As far as first-person shooters go, the franchise has managed to do just about everything right, offering everything from massive environments to diverse vehicular combat. Unfortunately, during its hiatus, several companies built blockbuster shooters that have forced nearly every thought of "Battlefield" from consumers' minds. But as the saying goes, It's about quality, not quantity, and if you want quality, you want "Battlefield 3."

I could spend hours discussing single-player stories and gameplay, but as far as "Battlefield" is concerned, being excited over single-player is the same as being excited over the sound system in your new Porsche. Sure, it's there and it's great, but it's not the real reason you spent all that money on the car. However, for those who want to know, there is a single-player campaign that places you on the Iran/Iraq border fighting against the People's Liberation and Resistance. If the combat is just too tough for you, invite a friend and play it together in the game's co-op mode.

Once you've tried your hand at single-player and developed a feel for the controls, try the game's multiplayer and see where the "Battlefield" series truly shines. With the ability to host 24 players on the consoles and a whopping 64 soldiers on the PC, "Battlefield 3" is sure to make the war epic as you compete with gamers from around the globe.

Sheer numbers aside, the game also boasts the newly developed Frostbite 2 engine. This technological miracle is responsible for the ultrarealistic graphics that look more like footage from CNN and less like a game. The engine is also responsible for the game's destructible environments, which levels cover, causes buildings to collapse and unearths every tree that stands in the path of war.

So now you have a lot of people fighting across gorgeous landscapes, but what else could the game possibly offer? Well, if you enjoyed the selectable classes of "Battlefield 2," you can breathe a sigh of relief, because they're back and looking better than ever. Each class comes complete with its own equipment and role, from the heavy machine-gun-wielding Support or the stealthier Recon. Finally, fans will be thrilled to see that a pile of vehicles is ready for use, from the high-flying jets and helicopters to the game-changing tanks.

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